Archive for the ‘politics and cricket’ Category

Madushka Balasuriya, courtesy of ESPNcricinfo, February 2018, where the title reads “Hathurusingha keen on expanding Sri Lanka’s player pool”

One tour, three formats, three series wins. For Chandika Hathurusingha, it has been the ideal start to his tenure as head coach of Sri Lanka. Speaking on his side’s return home from Bangladesh, a content Hathurusingha cited good communication, tactical flexibility, and a relaxed environment as key elements in Sri Lanka sweeping every trophy on offer. Now, his concentration has shifted to cultivating a strong squad that can compete in various conditions.

S. Venkat Narayan, in Sunday Island, 28 January 2018
As many as 578 players from 13 cricketing nations are taking part in the Indian Premier League (IPL) auction that kicked off in Bengaluru in Karnataka state on Saturday. Eighteen of them are Sri Lankan. Pakistanis do not figure in the list of players trying their luck in the world’s richest cricket tournament. An original pool of 1122 has been trimmed down to 578 cricketers. Of these, 360 are Indian: 62 capped and 298 uncapped. The rest overseas players. The list includes 182 capped, 34 uncapped and two Associates players.

Rex Clementine,in Island, 7 January 2018,with title “Domestic cricket set for complete overhaul”

Following the national cricket team’s disastrous showing in 2017 across all formats of the game, Sri Lanka Cricket has been under the pump for messing with the domestic cricket structure. SLC’s decision to increase the number of First Class teams from 14 to 24 had drawn much criticism forcing the Sports Ministry to intervene. It resulted in a high profile committee put in place to restructure domestic cricket and the committee has now forwarded its recommendations to the Ministry.

Former Test captains Aravinda de Silva, Mahela Jayawardene and Kumar Sangakkara were part of a high profile committee that was formed by the Sports Ministry to address the woes of domestic cricket.

The Sri Lankan cricketers got a taste of what lay ahead of them if they don’t fall in line with Chandika Hathurusingha at the inaugural practice session they had with their new head coach at the R Premadasa Stadium yesterday. Hathurusingha’s no-nonsense approach has made him one of the most successful, respected and most sought after cricket coaches in the world today and he believes he has arrived at the right time to put Sri Lanka cricket back on the right track to success.

As a 12-year-old, Sri Lanka’s new national cricket coach would do 15 minutes of bat drill after dinner each day, standing in front of a mirror. He would then go to sleep with his bat under the pillow. Such was his dedication to the game. Chandika Hathurusingha signed up this week as head coach to the ailing Sri Lankan team.He had two years left with his last employer—Bangladesh Cricket Board—under whom he achieved unprecedented success. Since taking over the mantle in May 2014, he transformed a team plagued by a defeatist mentality into fierce competitors across all formats of the game.

Rex Clementine, in Island, 20 December 2017, where the title is “The Messiah has arrived

The long wait for the arrival of the Messiah who will redeem Sri Lankan cricket from its current predicament has ended. Former Test opener Chandika Hathurusingha today will formally take over as Sri Lanka’s Head Coach in Colombo. Millions of admirers of Sri Lankan cricket will be desperately hoping that he will take a team that is in total shambles into the Promised Land.

Hathurasinghe arrives with an Alex Ferguson like reputation. Everyone talks about the impact he has had with Bangladesh during his three-year tenure, but equally successful has been his coaching stints with Sri Lanka ‘A’, UAE and New South Wales. But very few know the impact he had on Moors Sports Club. In the year 2000, when he took over as Captain cum Coach of Moors SC, the club had been relegated from Premier League cricket.